"It is heartbreaking to think that by the time my children, George, Charlotte and Louis are in their 20s, rhinos and tigers might be extinct in the wild.

"I, for one, am not willing to look my children in the eye and say we were the generation that let this happen on our watch."

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, has also agreed with this sentiment saying humanity is hell-bent on destroying the earth's biodiversity.

"Learning that more than 50 African elephants are killed for their tusks every day, or that a pangolin is taken from the wild every five minutes, is beyond all belief," he told attendees via video message.

Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary told ITV that entire species are at risk and will become the footnotes of history.

Prince Harry was also in attendance at the conference and has been a long time animal conservationist with a focus on the number of rhinos in Africa.

The "Golden Triangle", between Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand is the epicentre of this illegal trade, and the gateway for many of the items into the lucrative Chinese market.

This is the fourth conference to be held with representatives from 80 countries including ministers, officials and non-government organisations.